Handle Snake With Bare Hands – Humane Wildlife Removal

Should you ever handle a snake with bare hands?

There is a wide variety of snakes in most areas around the world. The way these snakes should be handled depends mostly on the variety as well as the individual snake’s temperament towards being touched. Some snakes will be fine with being handled while others will attack immediately. Others will take time before they allow you to safely handle them.

One of the best ways to determine if it is safe to handle a snake is by knowing which category they fall into. There are three of these categories, which are;

Rear-fanged are typically mildly venomous
Front-fanged snakes are typically incredibly venomous
Harmless are non-venomous snakes

It is worth noting, however, that even snakes in the harmless category have had bites linked to human fatalities. This is because their saliva has been found to be toxic or at least harmful to humans. These bites have been linked to some species of water snakes and relatives of the common garter snake. Non-venomous snakes are also likely to be constrictors. Many constrictor snakes are more than powerful enough to cause life-threatening harm to humans as well as pets.

Tips for learning how to handle snakes

Start small

When you begin to attempt handling snakes you do not want to be going after multiple meter long anacondas. Instead, learn and train on smaller snakes and work your way up.

Snakes get stressed

It is important to remember that snakes are not toys to be played with. Capturing and handling a snake can cause severe stress. The more stressed out a snake is, the more likely it is to attack you.

Focus on the snake

You absolutely should not be trying to multi-task while handling snakes. This is something that requires your full attention to ensure both your and the animal’s safety.

Take a course from an expert

As great as all of our articles are, they should not be taken as a legitimate lesson. If you are planning on handling snakes you should absolutely seek the training and experience of a professional before even attempting to do this on your own.

With all this being said, some snakes are definitely happy to be gently handled by their owners. A pet snake will react much differently to you than a wild snake. If you are incredibly interested in handling snakes, your best course of action may be to get a pet boa or other similar snake. These can make great pets that will give you an appreciation of a form of life so different from our own.